


Adventures of a Mall Santa

by ninetiesnecklace



Category: Being Human (UK), The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve Party in the last chapter, Shopping Mall, first encounters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-02-28 11:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2729993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninetiesnecklace/pseuds/ninetiesnecklace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a little story about Mitchell being the Mall Santa and Anders losing his niece in the crowd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> With Christmas around the corner I thought a bit of fluff is in order!

Mitchell took a deep drag from his cigarette, careful not to sprinkle ash on the white beard that dangled from his neck. Even though it was cold out here he had opened the heavy red jacket with the white fur on it – he was sweating like hell in the damn thing and the sturdy boots didn’t exactly help either. He should’ve known that being the Mall Santa wouldn’t be as easy as it had sounded.

Mind you, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the children who had come to him with their wishes so far were actually really well-behaved. Only one little rascal had insisted to pull on the fake beard, revealing Mitchell’s dark stubble underneath. Luckily he had been quick enough to react and had reminded the little boy that Santa doesn’t _have_ to grant wishes.

Mitchell leaned on the wall of the backdoor entrance to the mall, happy to have some peace and quiet before facing the buzzing shoppers and blinking lights inside again.

He hadn’t actually chosen this job. In fact, he had laughed at his mate Dave when he had told him that he was supposed to be running around in red and white on a Saturday afternoon. “You? Santa? C’mon Dave, you gotta be kidding.” But Dave hadn’t been kidding and now Dave was sick, leaving Mitchell to cover for him. He wouldn’t have thought that he could add “Mall Santa” to his CV one day but here he was, padded and guised as the guy.

Chuckling at this twist of fate Mitchell let his eyes wander when a tiny figure let him stop in his tracks.

“Santa?” A little voice called out to him, coming from a small girl at the opposite of the yard.

“Shit,” Mitchell muttered quietly and stubbed the cigarette out on the wall, pulled the beard up and closed his jacket as the little girl came closer.

He turned around and there she was, standing in front of him. Dressed in a winter coat, the bottom half of her face covered by a broad scarf, a knitted hat on her brown hair. From in between those layers of clothing a pair of big brown eyes looked up at Mitchell in wonder.

“Santa, is that you?”

“Hello, darling,” Mitchell said and knelt down to be face to face with the girl. Just now did he see how red and puffy her eyes were. “Are you okay?”

The girl’s lower lip quivered and the next thing he knew he was cradling a crying child.

“I’hhhmm… I’m lo-hoost…” she howled against Mitchell’s chest.

“Shh, it’s okay…” Mitchell said and tried to think of something to calm her down. The little thing was shaking with desperate sobs.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” he repeated, running a soothing hand over her back.

“Noo.. Santa.. it’s not oohh-kayy,” she cried, her voice coming in choked hiccoughs.

“I’ll help you, darling, we’ll get you back on your way, yeah?”

The girl’s eyes were still filled with tears but she calmed down a little. Thank god, Mitchell thought relieved – he wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to dealing with children in distress. Luckily, the Santa costume seemed to do most of the work for him.

“What’s your name, love?” Mitchell asked in a calm, friendly voice.

“Anna,” she sniffled.

“That’s a lovely name. There you go, Anna,” he grabbed a handkerchief from his coat pocket and gave it to the girl.

She blew her nose loudly, took a deep breath and looked at Mitchell. “Thanks, Santa.”

Mitchell nodded. “So tell me, what happened? How did you get lost?”

The girl’s eye grew wide as she remembered why she had been crying in the first place.

“I… I wanted to look at the lions in the window. They were so nice and fluffy and I played with them… and then Uncle Andy was gone and I… I wanted to look for him and…” She hiccoughed again, looking at Mitchell with pleading eyes.

“How did you get from the lions to here?” In his mind, Mitchell went through the mall to place the toy shop at least roughly. It must be the one next to the chemist, if he wasn’t mistaken.

“I wanted to go back to the car because we came here by car and we go home by car…” Anna’s shoulders were hanging low and she looked at the ground between them.

 _Poor little thing_. Mitchell smiled brightly at the girl. “That was clever of you!”

The rushed expression vanished from Anna’s eyes at this compliment from Santa himself and she smiled back, still a little shy.

“But you went into the wrong direction,” Mitchell went on, “The car park is on the other side of the mall.”

“Oh.” She nodded, solemnly.

Mitchell’s legs started to hurt from the crouching positions but he managed to give the little girl another smile. “What do you say we go back inside and look for your uncle?”

“You’ll help me?” she asked and Mitchell was glad to hear a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Of course I’ll help you. Come on!” Mitchell stood up and opened the door for Anna. “I’m sure he’s looking for you, too.”

As she walked through the door, she took Mitchell’s hand. “Do you think he will be angry?”

“I think he will be happy to see you again,” Mitchell smiled.

They walked through the corridor back to the main hall of the huge shopping mall. Nearly every railing was covered in garlands and lights, massive Christmas trees were distributed all over the place. Between the decorations hundreds of people were buzzing about, all eager to get their Christmas shopping done.

Mitchell led their way towards the toy shop he thought Anna had talked about. “Did you lose him here?”

“Yes… look, there are the lions.” She pointed at a group of stuffed animals in the window of the shop.

“Right. We’ll stay here and keep our eyes peeled for your uncle, okay? What does he look like?”

“He is tall.”

 _From a child’s perspective that could mean anything_. “As tall as me?”

“No…” Anna shook her head and stared at Mitchell intently, “A little shorter. He has blond hair. Blue eyes.”

Great, Mitchell thought with a touch of panic, how was he supposed to find an average sized man with blond hair in a mass of people? And what should he do if the guy didn’t show up? He was probably panicking a lot more than Mitchell right now but even that asset wasn’t so easily picked out in a crowd of fast-moving people.

“Anything else?” Mitchell asked, “What makes him special?”

The answer came immediately. “His pancakes are the best!”

Mitchell chuckled and tried once again, this time a little more specific.

“I mean what makes him special when you look at him. Remember, we are trying to find him among many people.”

“Hmm...” Anna scrunched up her face in deep thought. “He has a beard. Not as long as yours. And not white. He has a black jacket… ooh, I know! He is wearing a green and pink scarf.” With a proud undertone she added, “I made it.”

Mitchell looked adequately impressed at Anna. “You can make scarves?”

“Yes,” she beamed, “Mum helped me. But I chose the colours and made the fringes.”

“That’s great! I’m sure we’ll find him easily now.”

 _Easily_ was probably a dramatic overstatement but Mitchell was determined to keep the girl’s spirit up. And a blond bearded man in a pink and green scarf who was surely looking for his niece was a lead he could follow.

Mitchell scanned the crowds from his vantage point while Anna was doing the same from her level. People were rushing in every direction, making Mitchell a little dizzy as he looked out for a bright scarf on a black jacket. Unfortunately, most were dressed in black and no bright spot would appear.

“Santa?” he heard Anna’s trembling voice from his side, “what if he forgot me?”

The desperation in Anna’s words was real and he hastened to crouch next to her. She was holding up so well for a lost little girl – and Mitchell wanted to keep it that way.

“Don’t say that, Anna. He didn’t forget you. He is looking for you this very moment and he is probably as sad as you. It’s just with all these people around it can take a little while longer until we find him. But we will find him. He would never leave his favourite niece now, would he?” Mitchell lay his hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly at her.

Bravely, Anna kept her tears from falling and nodded.

 _Come on_ , Mitchell thought, _show yourself, Uncle Andy._ He didn’t know how much longer he could keep Anna from panicking but he did not feel prepared at all to take care of a hysteric child.

Waves and waves of people were rushing past the two and with every passing minute Mitchell grew more uneasy. Maybe he could bring Anna to the central office of the mall or something, tell the shopkeepers so they can send the guy up… But then again, he was Santa in this moment. He couldn’t abandon her into an anonymous office with grown-ups in suits without breaking her heart. And that was the last thing she could use right now, another disappointment.

“There!” Anna shouted suddenly and pointed to her left, her right hand still firmly gripping Mitchell’s. “There he is! UNCLE ANDY! I’M HERE! WITH SANTA!”

Mitchell tried to follow her gesture and saw a man rushing towards them – a man in a black jacket and a scarf in pink and a jarring green. Mitchell sighed in relief.

“Oh god, Anna, are you okay?” The man kneeled down before the girl and pulled her into a strong bear-hug. “I was looking for you everywhere!”

Anna hugged him back. “Uncle Andy!”

“I’m so glad I found you, muffin.” The man pressed a kiss on the girl’s forehead. “I was scared something happened to you.”

“I’m okay! I was scared but Santa helped me.” She smiled brightly at Mitchell who had witnessed the scene silently.

The man stood up, careful to leave one hand on Anna’s shoulder and looked at Mitchell.

“Thank you so much for taking care of her. I was looking at some books, didn’t pay attention for a minute and when I turned around she was just gone…” He shook his head, the stress still clearly visible on his handsome face.

Mitchell shrugged and smiled, suddenly self-conscious in his ridiculous Santa outfit. Who knew Anna’s uncle was so attractive? She hadn’t lied about the blue eyes – Mitchell just hadn’t been prepared for the intensity that stared back at him.

“Sure…” he managed to say.

The man took a deep breath and stretched out his hand towards Mitchell. “I mean it. I really appreciate it, thank you very much.”

Mitchell shook the offered hand and noticed how the skin around the man’s eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled at him.

“Of course, no problem. I’m glad we found you, too, I mean, she was pretty shaken that her Uncle Andy was gone and…” Mitchell babbled as he tried to process the gorgeous smile that sat on the man’s face.

“It’s Anders, actually.”

“Mitch-, uh, I mean…” Mitchell stuttered as he remembered that he was still officially Santa and Anna was listening to them.

“You know who I am, I don’t need to tell you…” he ended ungracefully and could have kicked himself in the shin. _Very smooth, aren’t you quite the heartbreaker,_ he thought indignantly, feeling more and more awkward around that beautiful man and his cute niece.

Anders giggled. “Yeah, I think I’ve seen you before. Listen, can I buy you a cup of coffee or something to say thanks?”

 _Oh god, yes_. Mitchell barely stopped himself from blurting out these exact words and tried another smile, hopefully looking a little more confident this time.

“You don’t have to. It’s fine, really.”

Mitchell did appreciate the gesture but he didn’t want him to feel obligated. And, as he just now remembered, he wasn’t off duty yet.

“Please, I insist,” Anders said.

“I still… well, I have to write down more wishes for Christmas,” Mitchell said, one eye on Anna who was leaning on Anders’ side and observed a little dog that tapped around the nearest bench.

“Oh. Okay.” Did he detect a hint of disappointment in Anders’ voice? _Great, now I’m hallucinating_.

Before he could say anything, Anders went on, “Maybe later, when you’re all done? I have to drop Anna off soon but after that I could come back if it suits you.”

Mitchell sweated even more in his costume now than before. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Driving the distance twice only to have coffee with the Mall Santa? Didn’t seem likely at all. Anders didn’t look like he was joking, though.

“Uh…” Mitchell was thinking of something to say, still unsure whether he could take Anders up on the offer.

Anders lowered his gaze apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s fine if you’re busy.”

“No!” Mitchell blurted out and decided on the spot. “Later is great. I’d say in about two hours?”

“Sounds good,” Anders said and dimples formed in his cheeks. _Dimples. Of all things_. “I’ll meet you here?”

“Perfect,” Mitchell nodded.

“How will I, uh… know...” Now Anders was the one who threw a side glance to Anna – who didn’t really pay attention to the boring conversation the grown-ups were having.

“I’ll recognise you.” _How could I not?_ On impulse, he leaned closer to Anders and said quietly, “When I’m not Santa I’m a bit lankier, have curly black hair and an Irish accent. And I’m called Mitchell.”

Anders didn’t move back and grinned broadly at Mitchell’s words. “Alright then, I’ll see you later.”

He managed to get Anna’s attention away from the dog. “Anna, love, let’s go. I promised your dad we wouldn’t be late. He’s making cupcakes.”

“Okay!” Before she followed Anders, however, she turned to Mitchell and hugged him. “Thank you, Santa.”

“You’re very welcome, Anna,” Mitchell said, gently ruffled her hair under the hat and watched uncle and niece vanish in the crowds.

 _Did just that happen_? With a big grin on his face Mitchell walked back to the flower shop in front of which he was supposed to spend the rest of his shift. Only two hours. And then, hopefully, he’d see Anders. The fact that he scored a date (and that was a date as far as he was concerned) while dressed as Santa made him laugh out loud.

Under his breath he muttered, “Dave, mate, you’re not going to believe this…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee date! Or non-date. Or... you know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since you lovely people had such nice things to say about Mall Santa Mitchell and Uncle Andy (thank you so much!) here's the coffee date for you! I had so much fun with insecure/rambling Mitchell that I may have gotten carried away so this is just for fun and giggles, really.
> 
> This chapter is beta-read and fluffed up by my lovely ConsultingFili - because I'm way too much into sad/dramatic stuff to come up with two fluffy chapters in a row by myself.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

There Mitchell was again, looking for Anders in the crowd of people still streaming through the mall. Only this time without a lost little girl at his side and in normal clothing. The padded Santa costume had given way to black skinny jeans that clung to his long legs, black boots that actually fitted him and a checked shirt in green and black over which he wore a dark jacket. Good thing laundry day had been yesterday. He wouldn’t want to scare off Anders in ripped, ill-fitting jeans and a sweater that moved up to his belly button even when he didn’t move.

Mitchell scanned the crowds for Anders. His eyes jumped over the many people and he was lucky to have something more to go by than just clothing this time around. Who knew if Anders even wore the scarf again. Frankly speaking it was an ugly piece of clothing and Mitchell had an idea that Anders had worn it solely for his niece. Who wouldn’t if said niece was as sweet and brave as Anna.

So Mitchell concentrated on other aspects of Anders. Which wasn’t too hard because he could probably pick out this adorable set of dimples in the dark blond beard anywhere by now – he had spent the last two hours of his shift seeing them in his mind’s eye.

Nervously, Mitchell picked at his green fingerless gloves. The six-and-a-half minutes he had been waiting already felt far too long to stand around in front of a toyshop with a surely driven expression. Maybe he had been a little hasty to call this a date in his mind. There was no guarantee that Anders was single, Mitchell reminded himself. Even though he hadn’t seen a ring on Anders’ finger he couldn’t be sure. He might be engaged or happily married or, and Mitchell dreaded this possibility, simply not into men.

He might not even show up. Mitchell ran his hand through his curls and kept his eyes glued on the masses of people. After all, this whole “let me buy you a cup of coffee” thing may well have been a spontaneous outburst of thankfulness. But once Anna was safe in his arms and back at her mum’s, he may have forgotten. Who could blame him, really, Mitchell thought. Maybe he was actually living on the other side of town and didn’t want to drive twice the distance. He didn’t even know how Mitchell looked outside his costume. Or he had recognised Mitchell, decided he didn’t care for lanky Irishmen with wild hair and left the mall as fast as possible.

This was a shit meeting spot, Mitchell realised as he blinked to get his focus back. All the sparkling lights were irritating him, making the task of finding Anders among the crazy shoppers even harder. Why exactly hadn’t he suggested the café a few streets further? It was not nearly as buzzing around there and the atmosphere was relaxed. Nothing compared to the busy mall cafés full of people with their shopping bags and even more people to rush in and order a coffee to-go which they drank from reddish paper cups with crappy Christmas motives on them.

Well, Mitchell might get one of those on his way home after being stood up. And then the caffeine would keep him awake and he would binge-watch that one show Dave had been hassling him with for weeks now and he would go to sleep and dream of blue eyes and dimples and his own awkwardness would follow him well into the morning…

A flash of pink and green on a black jacket and Mitchell snapped out of his self-loathing. There he was, Anders, confidently strutting to the general direction of the toyshop.

The walk alone was enough to make Mitchell’s knees go weak. Dammit, when did he become such a nervous little kitten when it came to coffee dates? Or non-dates, for that matter. _Calm down. He is just a guy and this is only casual. Be cool_. He lifted his hand and waved a little awkwardly at Anders, only to cringe immediately. _That went well_.

Anders nodded at him with a smile and steered his steps towards him.

“Mitchell?” Anders looked at him, head slightly tilted. “That was your name, right?”

“Yeah… Hi,” Mitchell said and grinned broadly – probably too broadly but fuck it, he was too excited to care. “Good to see you.”

He extended his hand and Anders shook it, smiling back at him. There they were, the cute dimples.

“I’m glad I recognised you,” Anders said, “Your description helped but I gotta say your style comes as a surprise.”

“Does it? Well… all part of the secret identity programme.”

“Mhm, I guess you can’t talk about that in more detail, can you?”

“Sorry, not today.”

Both men smiled and Anders asked, “Where do you want to go? Do you fancy a cup of coffee or a beer or..?”

“Uh...” Mitchell thought through his options quickly. He could really go for a pint after the shift and he generally felt at home in pubs – but it was only shortly after 6-30pm. He didn’t want to appear an alcoholic on his first non-Santa impression.

“Coffee is great. There is a nice café a few streets from here. Less busy, less loud and I need to get away from the constant Christmas songs.”

Anders grinned. “Alright, let’s do that.”

They left the mall and walked the short distance quickly to get out of the rain that had settled in. Not long after they were sitting in comfortable chairs, each of them a steaming cup of coffee in front of them – in proper china, which made Mitchell grin at his earlier vision of his lonely evening. Good thing Anders had showed up.

“So,” Anders said, “thank you again for taking care of Anna. Her dad would’ve killed me on the spot if something had happened to her.”

“That’d be a shame,” Mitchell said and blushed a little at his clumsy attempt to flirting, “Your brother, I take it?” he added quickly.

“Yeah,” Anders nodded, “he’s not someone who gets angry easily but once he does it’s the cold kind of rage.”

“Sounds scary.”

Mitchell made a mental note to not piss that guy off should he ever meet him. Which was a distinct possibility – so far nothing suggested that Anders wasn’t interested in him. Okay, it’s not like he was all over him but at least it didn’t go too badly if Anders’ animated tone was anything to go by.

“Did you keep the episode in the mall secret, then?” Mitchell asked.

“I tried to. Unfortunately Anna was so taken by her adventure that she fleshed it out in surprising detail.”

Mitchell chuckled. “Good thing you’re alive and kicking, then.”

“You’re her hero,” Anders said with a genuine smile and Mitchell drank the flattery up like sweet wine.

Yet, he shook his head. “Santa is her hero. I’m just the guy who happened to wear the beard today.”

“Still. She even threatened to make you a scarf, too.”

“Oh? Like the one you’re wearing?” Mitchell said and gestured towards Anders. “She told me that’s one of hers.”

“Yeah,” Anders nodded, his blue eyes sparkling with humour, “You’ll probably have one in colours that clash even more violently.”

“I’m in for a treat,” Mitchell grinned.

“Absolutely.” Anders’ dimples deepened. Almost unfair that this man was beautiful when serious and even more so when he laughed.

“I think it’s sweet that you wear it.”

“How could I not? She made it for me and that gesture dims down the colours. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. I thought of leaving it for this… uh...”

_Date_ , Mitchell mentally completed the sentence when Anders made a little pause,

“our meeting,” _Dammit_!

“but I figured that’d be the one thing you’d remember about me.”

“I remember a lot more about you than just the scarf. I mean… uh…” Mitchell tried to soften his words in case he came on too strong, “I’m… good with... you know… faces. And people.”

_Evidently_ _not_ , Mitchell thought with a growing feeling of embarrassment. Seriously, what was it about that guy that made him ramble on like an idiot when he tried to flirt? Normally he was good at it, suave, relaxed and charming but everything that came out of his mouth now was proper gibberish.

Mitchell could swear a very short but very amused grin darted over Anders’ rosy lips as he listened. Before he could be sure, however, Anders had lifted his mug of coffee and hid his mouth with it. Even for a non-date this was becoming awkward enough.

“Do you have kids?” Mitchell asked Anders in an attempt to regain solid ground.

“Me? Nah. Haven’t found the right partner yet,” Anders said and shrugged his shoulders.

_Partner_ could mean anything, Mitchell thought, still clinging to the hope of Anders fancying men. At least he was single so that was one thing less to tick off.

“But Anna is a lot of fun to be around so I’ll just consider this as practice until the right one comes along. How about yourself?”

“No kids, no nieces or nephews. No boyfriend, either,” Mitchell offered, closely observing Anders’ reaction to the last part. A little nod and, if he wasn’t fully mistaken, a slight smile… but that could’ve been just a grimace, Mitchell thought with uncertainty. Then it hit him how sad his words must have appeared.

“Wow, I sound lonely.”

“Are you?”

“Uh…”

The question had come out of nowhere, taking Mitchell by surprise. Now it was Anders’ turn to blush and Mitchell would be damned if that didn’t make the blond look even more attractive and cuter than he already was. Just the slightest hint of pink in his cheeks, a shy look down on his hands and Mitchell felt like wrapping him in a blanket and taking him home.

“That was way too personal, sorry,” Anders mumbled, picking uncomfortably at his scarf that lay on the table.

“No, it’s fine,” Mitchell said with an easy shrug of his shoulders. “I’m not lonely. I got my job, my mates and sometimes I even go for coffee with strangers.”

The brunet smiled, feeling his usual confidence coming back. With relief he saw the dimples return to that handsome bearded face.

“So that’s a common occurrence?”

“Not really, to be honest.” Mitchell shot Anders a lopsided grin, “I haven’t met that many new people lately outside of work. I work nights.”

Anders tilted his head slightly and Mitchell’s heart sped up as he realised how his comment could be misunderstood. With all the information on his solitary state Anders might think he was…

“I mean, shifts,” Mitchell added, his voice a little too high to be considered composed, “Nightshifts. At the hospital. A normal job. I’m not a rent boy or something…”

Mitchell’s eyes grew wide as he listened to himself rambling on and laughing nervously.

_Rent boy. I actually said ‘rent boy’ on a coffee date. What the fuck is wrong with me?_

They should’ve gone to the pub – at least he could’ve hoped for a drink to lighten Anders’ perception of him. And bleach his memory of this meeting afterwards.

Whatever, it was all over anyway. There was no way Anders would want to see him again. Not even his Santa-impression could right this glorious first Mitchell-impression he had delivered so effortlessly.

He clenched his jaw, looking at Anders. _Good-bye, adorable dimples_. How deep they were, how nicely placed at the right spot of his cheeks, making the skin around his eyes look even softer when he laughed and… _Wait_.

Anders was shaking. With laughter. A chuckling, nearly crackling giggle came out of his throat and seemed to resonate through his entire body. Tears were forming in his eyes, his hands grabbing the armrest for support.

“You… why would you…” Anders tried to take a deep breath that ended in a choked giggle, “think that I’d… think… you’re a… a…” Another laughing fit cut off the rest of Anders’ sentence.

Mitchell couldn’t do anything but stare at the blond losing it in front of him. He couldn’t really decide which was worse – the fact that he had made an utter fool of himself or that Anders wholeheartedly agreed.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Mitchell,” Anders wheezed, “I’m not laughing at you, it’s just… phew…” He calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“You could’ve gone for Batman with the ‘working nights’ thing but…” he snickered, “I can see the book-deal: Part-Time Santa and Rent-Boy. That’d sell like crazy.”

“Glad I could make you laugh...” Mitchell mumbled sheepishly, wishing for a meteor to hit the earth.

“I’m sorry, Mitchell. Really,” Anders reached over the table and laid hand on Mitchell’s arm, squeezing lightly.

“It’s okay, I…” before Mitchell could say more, Anders’ mobile went off. The warm hand was withdrawn as the blond grabbed his phone, frowning at the name that interrupted them so rudely.

“I need to get that… do you mind?” He looked at Mitchell apologetically, his blue eyes still gleaming with the tears of laughter from before.

“Go right ahead.”

Mitchell was actually happy about this little cut in their conversation. This way he might patch himself up enough to end this… whatever kind of meeting it was on a high note. Well, as high as it can get by this point. _Just be charming and leave. Or just say nothing embarrassing and leave, that’ll do. Don’t wait for him to make an awkward excuse_.

“… I’m in the middle of something, Dawn. No. What? Hmm… really? No chance? Have you… oh. But I… yeah okay. Yes. I know. Alright. See you later.”

If that wasn’t a rescue call, Mitchell thought with a lump in his throat. He tried to look casual and asked, “Everything okay?”

Anders chuckled, looking at Mitchell with a cheeky twinkle in his eyes.

“You know how I said you might be the proud owner of a scarf soon?”

“Yeah…” Mitchell said hesitantly, not entirely sure where this was going. _That’s not how rescue calls usually work._

In a solemn voice, Anders said, “It’s happening, Mitchell.”

“What do you mean?”

“This was Anna’s mum. She said Anna refuses to go to bed before she has the chance to show me the colours she picked for Santa’s scarf.”

Mitchell grinned. “You’re making that up.”

“I wish I could say yes. But it’s true.”

He did seem genuine, Mitchell thought – this was too weirdly specific to be a made-up excuse. And Anna had taken pride in her scarves, after all.

“Well, that puts this,” Mitchell gestured vaguely over the table, “to an abrupt ending.”

“Yes,” Anders said and twisted his mouth, “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to feel choked off now…”

Mitchell shrugged, giving Anders a soft smile. “It’s fine. Being Uncle Andy is definitely the priority.”

“Listen, are you on Santa duty again soon? I mean, Anna will surely bug me about that scarf and I can’t really let her choke some other Santa with it…” Anders’ cheeks turned slightly pink, “Of course only if you don’t mind.”

“You’re really serious, aren’t you? And here I thought you wanted to get out easy,” Mitchell said with a laugh, feeling a lot more at ease.

Anders looked at him astonished. “What? No, I’m enjoying myself very much.”

Either Anders was a very good liar or Mitchell didn’t do as badly as he thought. _Let’s see which one_.

“Next Saturday, same time and same place.”

“It wouldn’t bother you?” Anders asked tentatively.

“Not at all,” Mitchell shook his head and added, “She’s very sweet.”

What did he have to lose, anyway? Mitchell surely wouldn’t pass up on the chance to brighten that little girl’s day. And if he got to see her gorgeous uncle again, all the better. _Maybe I’d even get it together until then._

“Yes, she is…,” Anders smiled pensively.

Then, he shifted in his chair and leaned forward. “If Anna doesn’t go through with it… can I still see you again?”

Giving a vague heads-up on a Santa-visit was one thing but… that sounded like a date. A proper date. With Anders.

“After this piss-poor impression I just made?” Mitchell blurted out.

“I had a good time…” Anders said with an open smile. “But if you don’t want that’s totally cool. I won’t harass you for a date, I promise.”

_Harass_ is definitely the wrong word, Mitchell thought and grinned broadly, his mood turning over to giddy. “I’d like that. A date, I mean.”

“Great,” Anders beamed, giving Mitchell his card while the brunet scribbled his number on a napkin.

Anders stood up, wrapped Anna’s scarf around his neck and put on his jacket. Mitchell just leaned on the chair, hands shoved somewhat bashfully into his jeans while he could feel a distinct tingle in his cheeks from smiling.

“This was fun,” Anders said, touching Mitchell’s arm. “Again, I’m sorry I have to go so suddenly.”

“It’s fine, really,” Mitchell nodded, gripping the card in his pocket tightly.

“I’ll see you soon, then.” Another deep-dimpled smile and Anders disappeared into the street, all confidence and long strides.

Mitchell stood there for another moment, trying to make sense of… well, everything, really. He didn’t quite know how he moved from awkward ramblings to a fairly certain date and a phone number in his hand – but that didn’t really matter because he would see Anders again, a prospect that gave him a rush of energy.

He turned the card in his hands and read the print on the cream-coloured paper.

_J:PR_

_Anders Johnson. PR Manager._

Mitchell whistled through his teeth. _Look at that_. This definitely explained the comment about the book deal and the overall confidence. And probably his resilience against Mitchell’s nervous gibberish.

Mitchell realised that he was still leaning against the chair when the waitress threw him a questioning look. He let himself fall back on the seat, drank the last sip of his coffee and left the café. The smile on his face wouldn’t go anywhere soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarves, a nearly-cancelled date and an invitation.

_16/12/2014, 17:47_

_Hey Mitchell, it’s Anders. I’ll drop by with Anna on Saturday. I was wondering if you feel like having dinner after your shift?_

_16/12/2014, 18:04_

_Sure, sounds great. I’ll see you then!_

_* * * *_

 

“Anders, lovely to see you. Come in.”

“Hello Dawn,” Anders said, stomped on the doormat to get rid of the snow on his boots and kissed her on both cheeks. “How are you?”

“Good, although my fingers hurt from knitting… Anna insisted that it had to be longer than your scarf because Santa is taller and heavier than you.”

“And you complied?”

“Well… yes. It’s done.”

“You’re the best, Dawn.”

“I hope he appreciates it,” Dawn said and added with a raised eyebrow, “despite the colours.”

Anders chuckled. “I’ll tell him all about your heroic deeds.”

“When you take him on a date afterwards?” A cheeky twinkle had appeared in Dawn’s eyes and she tilted her head in question.

“Did Ty tell you?” Anders sighed.

He wasn’t exactly sure whether to be grumpy or giddy – truth be told he was very excited that Mitchell had agreed to meet him again. But discussing his private life with his family was not something he ever did. Well, Dawn was maybe an exception. And it had slipped out when Ty had asked him more specifically about the saviour Santa and the reason why Anders had to leave again so soon. From that moment on, Ty had bugged him to keep him posted. Brotherly love, Anders thought with an exasperated inner sigh.

“He said you’ll buy him dinner,” Dawn answered.

“We’ll pay separately…” Anders said in a weak attempt to get Dawn off course but to no avail.

“No, you’ll invite him.”

She shot him a serious look and Anders understood why Anna was such a well-behaved child. Then, a smile wandered over her face.

“He seems nice, don’t scare him off.”

“I’ll try my best not to.”

“Good. I like to see you happy.”

Happy? He didn’t even _do_ anything that would qualify as mildly enthusiastic as far as Anders was concerned. Yet before he could dwell on Dawn’s supernatural abilities fast steps darted down the stairs.

“Uncle Andy!” Anna shouted.

Anders opened his arms and she threw herself into the hug, making him take a few steps back to keep his balance.

“Hey Muffin! Ready to go?” He ruffled her hair.

“Yes,” she nodded, put on her shoes and accepted her jacket from Dawn.

“The scarf is in here,” she pointed to a backpack with pirates on it, “it’s really long, I have to take my bag.”

“Good idea,” Anders smiled fondly at her, “Come on, then.”

“Bye, mum!”

Anna hugged Dawn, took her backpack and held on to Anders’ hand.

“Have fun, love,” Dawn waved, “I’ll pick you up later.”

Anna climbed on the seat of Anders’ car, her backpack tightly gripped. “I hope he likes the scarf.”

“I’m sure he does,” Anders said and strapped her in, “he will need it for Christmas when he’s out and about, distributing presents. He’ll love it.”

During the drive, Anna happily babbled on about the scarf and her excitement to gift it to Santa himself. She refused to show Anders the finished good though, insisting that it was a present for Santa and that no one else should see it beforehand.

“But you showed me the colours already and I’m curious!” Anders pouted when Anna didn’t yield.

“I changed it a bit and mum knitted a pretty pattern. You’ll see it when I give it to Santa.”

They parked the car and entered the brightly lit mall. Anna had the backpack securely fastened on her back, one hand in Anders’.

“You’ll stay with me this time, okay?”

The panic he had felt when Anna had wandered off the week before had taken a while to cease. Neither Ty nor Dawn had blamed him, especially seeing that nothing had happened, but still Anders was a little tense.

“Yes, Uncle Andy,” she said solemnly.

As they walked across the mall, Anna suddenly stopped and looked at Anders thoughtfully.

“Do you think he’ll recognise me? He talks to so many people…”

“Of course!” Anders crouched to meet her eyes, “Santa has good memory. Just think of all the presents he remembers. And you met under special circumstances, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Oh, there he is!” Anna shouted with excitement.

Mitchell was standing in front of the flower shop with a huge basket in his hands, distributing treats to children and their stressed parents. The Santa outfit must be heavily padded, Anders thought as he contrasted this image with the lanky Mitchell he had met for coffee. He seemed taller and a lot heavier, moving much slower.

His easy-going laugh rang in Anders’ ears even though there was still a considerable distance between them. The blond couldn’t help but smile. Dawn may have been on to something: he did feel excited and just the tiniest bit giddy at the prospect of seeing Mitchell again. Good thing he had gone through with the dinner invitation.

“Santa!” Anna shouted as Mitchell walked on through the mall. He stopped, turned and waved at Anna. The little girl skipped towards him, Anders’ hand still tightly gripped so that he had to take long strides to keep up.

“Hello Anna,” Mitchell said when she stood in front of him.

“You remember me?” she asked, looking up at him with big eyes.

“How could I forget you and your Uncle Andy?” Mitchell answered and smiled under his bushy fake beard, shooting Anders a shy glance.

“He remembers you, too,” Anna whispered to Anders.

“Hello, Santa,” the blond nodded with a bright smile that had less to do with Santa and more with the gorgeous Irishman hidden under the costume. But this was Anna’s show so Anders took a step back. He’d have the entire evening to talk to Mitchell and listen to his clumsy attempts at flirting which somehow made him even more charming.

“Would you like a piece of chocolate?” Mitchell asked and lowered the basket far enough for Anna to reach.

Mitchell’s voice startled Anders for a moment. They hadn’t spent that much time together but it was weird now, listening to him without the distinct Irish accent. Anders quickly wondered whether he was asked to suppress it or whether he had decided that on his own. Maybe too many children had asked him whether the North Pole is close to Ireland. The thought made Anders chuckle. He’d have to ask him later, when his delightful smile wasn’t covered up by a fake white beard.

“Thanks,” Anna took a chocolate angel out of the basket, “I have something for you, too.”

“Really?” Mitchell said surprised, his eyes flickering to Anders’ scarf for a split second before focussing on Anna again, “But it’s me who gives presents to children, not the other way around.”

“This time it is. To say thank you for finding me.”

While Anna took off her backpack and set it on the floor, Mitchell smiled at Anders timidly. In response, Anders winked at him quickly. This man was way too bashful for his own good, Anders thought, amused by the slight pink that crawled into Mitchell’s cheeks as he looked back at Anna.

She opened the main compartment with a concentrated look. Anders’ eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of the scarf peeking out of her backpack: she had indeed changed the colours. When Anders had visited her last to take a look at it the wool had been of a nice dark green. With a look at his own pink-green scarf he had been relieved that Mitchell wouldn’t be subject to an eyesore he’d feel obligated to wear. In fact, the green would’ve fitted perfectly to his dark hair and brownish eyes – which wouldn’t necessarily matter because he would be in Santa attire when receiving his gift, but still. Yet what emerged from the abyss of the backpack was something else entirely.

Anna pulled on one end of the scarf and Anders’ cringed at the sight of the fabric uncurling from the backpack. The knitting pattern was surely pretty but unfortunately, the bright, _very bright_ violet swallowed any kind of intricacy the scarf may have had. Anna pulled further and the violet gave way to a proper Santa-red. Anders blinked a few times but even then he couldn’t make out the spot where the colours met – it blurred before his eyes. Another pull and the colour scheme repeated itself not once, not twice, but three whole times before ending with a line of dark green tassels. It was so long that she needed both hands to keep it from falling on the floor.

“This scarf is for you!” Anna said and held it out towards Mitchell with a bright smile.

Still a little shocked by the sheer force these clashing colours held Anders looked at Mitchell with a smile and a shrug. But Mitchell didn’t even acknowledge him – he had knelt down before Anna and let the scarf run through his fingers.

“Look at the pattern and the colours!” he said with an enthusiasm in his voice that startled Anders.

It sounded genuine, none of the grown-up-humouring-kids talk. What Anders could see of Mitchell’s face was lit up in a broad smile and his eyes twinkled as he marvelled at the fabric. Maybe he was colour blind, Anders thought suddenly.

Anna pointed at the scarf. “My mum knitted it and I chose the colours and put the tassels on it.”

“This is great, Anna. You’ve done an amazing job.” Mitchell examined the tassels in detail, smiling.

Maybe his eye sight was alright, Anders thought, and Mitchell was touched by the gesture to the extent that style wasn’t a priority anymore. Like Anders himself, really.

“Thanks!” Anna beamed at Mitchell’s charming compliment, “I picked red because it has to match your coat. And violet because it’s my favourite colour.”

“Mine, too. Thank you so much for this!” Mitchell wrapped the scarf around his neck, careful to avoid knocking his fake beard off his face. “You know, it gets very chilly on the sleigh but this Christmas I’ll be warm and comfy.”

Anna’s smile grew even wider as she looked at Mitchell wearing her scarf. She hugged him and as Mitchell stood back up, Anders ruffled her hair affectionately.

“Well done, Muffin.”

“Merry Christmas,” Anna said to Mitchell, “we’re off to look at the lions again now.”

“Well, have fun, Anna. And a very merry Christmas to you and Uncle Andy, too,” Mitchell replied and waved again as Anna pulled Anders in the direction of the toy shop.

“See you, Santa,” Anders said, winked at Mitchell once more and followed his little girl dutifully.

 

* * * *

 

Anders and Anna were browsing through the toy shop when the blond’s phone rang.

“Hey Dawn,” Anders answered the call and made sure Anna was still looking at the lions.

“Anders?” She sounded stressed, “I’m so sorry but I can’t pick up Anna like I promised.”

“What happened?” Anders asked.

“I need to get Ty. His car broke down and he’s stranded somewhere. Could you watch Anna a while longer?”

“Uhm...” Anders hesitated. _A while_ could mean anything.

“I know you have a date with the Santa guy and I feel horrible for asking this of you…” He could tell that Dawn meant it – her voice was pleading.

“Well… It’s not like I have a choice, is it?”

“I’m so sorry, Anders.” _Me too, Dawn, me too_.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Hang out at the mall a bit longer, get yourselves some dinner and would you drop her off after? By that time we’re hopefully back home.”

“Yeah… okay.”

“Again, I’m so sorry to ruin your date.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll manage. Now go and get your husband.”

“Thank you, Anders. You save me here.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Disappointed, Anders ended the call. So much for the dinner date at that nice restaurant in town he had planned for Mitchell.

Anders knew that Dawn wouldn’t ask him if it wasn’t urgent but the timing couldn’t be worse. He looked at his watch. It was only a little over half an hour until he was supposed to meet Mitchell. Agitated, he huffed. He couldn’t cancel now; it would look like Anders only promised a date to make the brunet humour Anna.

“Muffin, your mum can’t pick you up yet. We’ll get dinner and I’ll drop you off at home later, okay?”

“Can we have pizza?” Anna asked.

“Sure,” Anders said, his mind occupied with the phrasing of his text to Mitchell.

He got out his phone and typed up a message.

_Bad news: Anna’s mum can’t pick her up just now so I’m still busy…._

The answer came immediately.

_That means you want to cancel dinner?_

‘Want’ was definitely not the fitting word here, Anders though and sighed. He really didn’t want to, at all. Now that their date was as good as called off he realised how much he had looked forward to spending the evening with the awkwardly charming Irishman.

 _Not cancel but maybe… reschedule? Another time?_ Anders typed and hit send.

Nothing. Radio silence for a minute. Two minutes. Five. Then, a buzz.

_Sure._

Shit. That period at the end didn’t sound good at all. It resonated with a serious, disapproving tone that might even carry disappointment if he looked close enough. Anders sighed unhappily. Mitchell surely thought he was trying to let him down gently. Or not even that, come to think of the immediacy. What Anders had written had probably been too casual, making it sound like he didn’t care at all. Or that he hadn’t intended to go through with the date in the first place.

Calm down _,_ Anders implored himself, it was only a word and a punctuation mark.

 _Really?_ Anders typed carefully, hoping his regret carried via letters on a screen.

_Yeah…_

Frustrated, Anders turned his phone in his hands. In between the holidays, with New Year’s just around the corner and a huge pile of projects on his desk it could take a long time until he had the chance to see Mitchell again – if he still wanted, that was.

“Anna,” Anders asked on a whim, “would you mind if a friend joined us for dinner?”

“Who?”

“Mitchell. He’s really nice.”

“Sure,” Anna shrugged and turned her attention back to the stuffed toys.

Anders smiled and felt his palms go a bit sweaty. That wasn’t too forward, was it? It wouldn’t be a proper date with Anna around but at least he showed that he was interested. And if Mitchell had a problem with children he probably wouldn’t job as Santa.

_Unless you want to join Anna and me for dinner? It’ll be pizza instead of a fancy restaurant, just as a heads-up._

Send.

_I love pizza! I’d be happy to join you_ _:)_

Anders grinned broadly at the exclamation mark and smiley.

_Great! So we’ll see you in half an hour?_

His phone buzzed again.

_Perfect._

 

* * * *

 

Mitchell stuffed his belongings in his shoulder bag and grabbed his jacket, relieved that his last shift was over and that he could move without carrying around all that extra padding. His stomach growled – the few pieces of chocolate he had eaten didn’t quite make up for his meagre breakfast and non-existent lunch. Considering this pizza was definitely the preferred choice to an up-market restaurant Anders had apparently planned to take him to.

Just as he took Anna’s scarf to put it around his neck Mitchell stopped in his tracks. Anna would be there, according to Anders’ apologetic texts, and the scarf had been a gift for Santa and not for him. Which also meant that he had to start from scratch in getting to know the little girl. Mitchell took off the scarf and put it into his bag as well, making sure to bury it under his spare shirt.

He didn’t mind Anna’s being there. Of course he had been looking forward to a date with Anders alone. But given that it had nearly been called off entirely he was happy enough with the alternative. Also, Anna might just be the factor he needed to stop with the awkward rambling that he apparently fell victim to way too easily in Anders’ presence.

Mitchell slung the bag over his shoulder and walked to their meeting spot. Indeed, there they were, Anders in his pink-green scarf and little Anna holding his hand.

“Anders, hi!”

Mitchell hugged Anders as if they had known each other for a long time. To Anna, he was probably ‘a friend from work’ or something similar, so why not get rid of any possible tension right away?

“Hey, mate…” Anders said, seemingly a little startled by Mitchell’s forward approach. The brunet grabbed him by the shoulders, smiling, before he knelt down to Anna.

“I’m Mitchell,” he said and offered his hand.

“I’m Anna,” she shook his hand, “Are you Uncle Andy’s boyfriend?”

Anders cleared his throat and laughed nervously. “Anna, darling, Mitchell is a friend. You know I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment.”

Anna shrugged. “Ah, yeah.”        

Mitchell barely hid his grin at Anders’ discomfort. “So I heard someone say we’d have pizza… is that still an option?”

“Absolutely,” Anders said, “let’s check out the food court.”

They found a table despite the busy mass of people surging through the mall and soon they each sat in front of a steaming pizza. Mitchell’s stomach was growling loudly by now, so loudly in fact that Anna asked him whether he heard that weird lion-sound, too. Anders nearly choked on his drink and hastened to point out that their food was getting cold. Mitchell won Anna’s heart quickly in trading in a piece of his pizza for one of hers – the one with the “wobbly bit of tomato” she didn’t like.

Time passed quickly and Mitchell was relieved to see that he had been right: with Anna sitting at the table the atmosphere was relaxed and easy-going. She chipped in with stories about her friends and the neighbour’s dog from time to time, Anders seemed at ease and Mitchell silently congratulated himself on reacting like a sane person to questions the blond asked him. He learned about Anders’ company and laughed about odd stories he told of functions and black tie events. Mitchell added a few anecdotes himself, talked about Ireland and smiled in delight every time Anders’ dimples appeared in his bearded cheeks.

Since Anders had paid for dinner, Mitchell insisted to buy a round of ice cream for everyone as dessert. Full and tired, Anna leaned against Anders with a satisfied sigh.

“Looks like someone is ready to go home,” Anders said and stroked through Anna’s hair. Turning to Mitchell he asked, “Do you go that way, too?”

“Yes,” Mitchell nodded. The car park was at the exact other end of the huge mall than the one he actually lived closer to. Yet he wouldn’t miss a chance to spend more time with Anders – especially now that he hopefully had redeemed himself from the awkward impression he had made at coffee.

“Uncle Andy?” Anna asked.

“Yes?”

“When do we have the dress-up party?”

“On New Year’s Eve.”

“How much longer until New Year’s Eve?”

“Another 11 days, Muffin.”

“That’s a long time.”

“Yes, but we’ll celebrate Christmas first so I’m sure you won’t get bored.”

“That’s true.” She turned to Mitchell. “I’m dressing up as a vampire.”

“Really? With sharp teeth?” Mitchell asked, interested.

“Yes. And a black cape.”

“Awesome.” Little Anna was always good for a surprise, he thought. As was her uncle.

“Do you come to the party, too?” Anna asked Mitchell.

“Uh…” he hesitated, determined not to look at Anders whose attention was fully targeted at searching his pockets for his car keys, “I don’t know yet.”

The boys at the pub could surely do without him on New Year’s Eve and for a second, Mitchell imagined celebrating with Anders. Not that this was a proper invitation but still.

“I’d like that,” Anna said, “You could be a princess.”

“A princess?” Mitchell echoed.

“Yes. Your hair is so pretty.”

“Thanks…” Mitchell grinned and pulled at a curl, “I don’t know yet if I can make it but I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Okay!”

They had arrived at the main entrance of the mall as Anders found his keys and shot Mitchell a lopsided grin – surely a comment on Anna’s gracious invitation but not one Mitchell could decipher properly. Well, he’d probably think it too rude to tell him off right away.

Pushing thoughts of a dress-up party and Anders’ possible costume aside, Mitchell put on his jacket. Then, he pulled out the scarf Anna had made for him, wrapping it around his neck. The colours were really a little adventurous but he liked the soft fabric a lot and from what he could see through the glass door of the mall the snow had not stopped.

“Your scarf!” Anna exclaimed and Mitchell stopped dead in his movement. _Crap_.

He had totally forgotten that he was still two people for Anna – Santa and Mitchell. And Mitchell definitely didn’t own a scarf made by Anna and her mum.

With slight panic in his stomach Mitchell looked at Anders for help. The blond, however, looked about as stunned as Mitchell felt. Then, he drew his eyebrows together and wetted his lips, no doubt thinking about a white lie. Mitchell really didn’t want to be the one who had to break to Anna that Santa didn’t exist – especially given the fact that he had played him for the better part of this Saturday.

“Uhm… yeah, the scarf,” Mitchell stuttered and hoped Anders’ PR trained brain would kick in and deliver a smooth fix for this situation.

Anna tilted his head, “I like the colours. Mum and I made one just like that for Santa.”

Mitchell breathed out the air he had unknowingly kept in his lungs.

“Oh yeah?” he managed to say with a somewhat convincing smile.

“I gave it to Santa because I was lost and he helped me.”

“So I’m wearing the same scarf as Santa? I didn’t know! This is really cool,” Mitchell improvised.

“Why don’t you put on your scarf as well, Anna,” Anders said and fussed over her, successfully distracting her from pursuing the train of thought further. Mitchell couldn’t help but smile to himself at the stress on Anders’ face.

They walked to the car, Anna sleepily said good-bye and Anders made sure she was strapped in properly. Then, he turned to Mitchell.

“So… uh… Mitchell, I’m really sorry about all that,” he said with a puppy dog look that the brunet wasn’t fully prepared for. _How is that even possible with blue eyes?_

“Listen, it’s okay,” he answered with a dismissive gesture, “I won’t take you up on Anna’s offer about New Year’s Eve.” _I’d like to but that’s beside the point._

“You won’t?”

“Of course not. I can’t just walk in and I’m sure everything’s planned already so don’t worry. I won’t ruin your party or cause you any trouble.”

The words came with an easy smile but Mitchell felt a pull in his stomach as he burned the one bridge he had to secure another date with Anders. Between Christmas celebrations and preparations for New Year’s there surely was no time for them to catch up and the new year still seemed too far away to grasp – or to ask someone out.

Anders shook his head. “No, I meant I’m sorry about today.”

“Why?”

The blond suddenly became bashful.

“I asked you out with the promise of dinner. Then, I cancelled that plan to have you eat pizza from a box and hang out with my niece and me. This hardly qualifies as a date.”

“True,” Mitchell said, “But I had a nice evening.”

“Really?” Anders’ tone was a mixture of hope and doubt.

“Yeah,” Mitchell nodded, “You guys are fun to be around.”

“Please swing by on New Year’s Eve.” Anders blushed as he realised the commanding tone of this request. “I mean, if you’re not busy otherwise I’d love for you to… you know, celebrate with me. With us.”

Before Mitchell had a chance to respond, the blond continued talking.

“It’s a house party at my brother’s place. Anna is already there so she won’t be the reason I have to leave or change things around… There’ll be 30 people or so, it’s not like you have to meet my family or something. All easy-going folk, it’s actually a fancy dress party so if you don’t want to be recognised just wear a mask or something…”

“Okay.” Mitchell smiled, a wave of endorphins washing through his veins.

“Okay?” Anders looked at him quizzically, “You’ll be there?”

“Yes, I’d like that,” the brunet said and added, “though I probably won’t be dressed as a princess.”

“That’s okay,” Anders grinned. “Well… I’ll text you the details and see you soon, then?”

“Sounds good. Take care.” Mitchell hugged Anders and this time, the blond wasn’t surprised but returned the gesture.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you lovely people for reading, kudos, commenting and most of all encouragement to turn this into a multi-chapter work! <3  
> I'm on the road at the moment so forgive me if this isn't as fluffy as it could've been but I still hope you enjoy it.  
> Happy New Year, everyone!

Mitchell wasn’t big on dressing up. Not because he didn’t like it as such but because he never really had the chance to. His circle of friends wasn’t too fond of motto parties and Halloween somehow had never really interested him. As a consequence Mitchell didn’t have a huge box of old clothes and costumes – which presented a bit of a challenge to find a suitable outfit for Anders’ party. He had considered asking the blond what he would be dressed as but then he had thought better of it. It might come across weird, again, like he was determined to find something that fitted to Anders’ choice. So he had deleted that text and started to look for possible clothing in his closet.

Way back behind his jeans he found a white cotton shirt he had picked up from some medieval market ages ago. Mitchell rolled up the sleeves up to his elbows and put on an unbuttoned black vest. A brown leather belt around his waist held up black skinny jeans. Given that the party hostess was Anna’s mum Mitchell tied the scarf Anna had given him around his middle. One end of his bright sash casually dangled down to his knee. Black boots (the ones he usually wore) completed his improvised pirate costume.

So far, so good. But to make these basic clothes a little more interesting Mitchell had put on a few rings and a necklace with a coin as a pendant; it touched on the low neckline of his shirt. Broad leather bracers, fitted with two buckles, clung to each of his wrists. Mitchell’s ears weren’t pierced so he had invested in a pair of ear cuffs – getting a hole punched in his ear lobe was not something he wanted to impress Anders with. The silver cuffs with rune-like black ornaments hugged the shells of his ears now. Mitchell had tied a long red cloth around his head as a bandana, half of it resting on his shoulder. His hair was more in disarray than usual but successfully restrained by the fabric, keeping them from falling into his eyes. On the tips of a few strands silvery beads were glinting – a detail Mitchell was particularly proud of given the time it had taken him to convince his curls to play along. He wasn’t sure whether his clumsy braiding artwork (four stands, two on either side, nearly buried under the rest of his hair) would survive the night but for now it looked promising.

For a weak second Mitchell had considered doing the whole Captain Jack Sparrow thing and actually putting on guyliner. That idea, however, was quickly discarded. Who knew what the other guests would be wearing. Mitchell didn’t want to be the one to stand out too much. He wanted to look good, yes, but he knew no one at that party and preferred to remain anonymous until he had a chance to look around.

The costume was a good choice, wasn’t it? A pirate stood for freedom, independence, a certain boldness with a cheeky twist. At least that was what Mitchell hoped for – it’s not like he had another costume to choose from.

Now he was standing in front of Mrs and Mr Johnson’s house, nervously turning a bottle of red wine in his hands. Mitchell rang the bell and waited.

A dark-haired man opened the door, dressed in a sharply cut suit.

For a split second, Mitchell froze. This was a fancy dress party, wasn’t it? The man in front of him looked proper fancy, the suit shiny and his hair slicked, styled.

“Hello, I’m Mitchell…” he said hesitantly, “I’m with Anders?”

The man nodded, “Come on in! I’m Ty, Anders’ brother.”               

So that was the man who allegedly was prone to cold rage. He looked nice, Mitchell thought, his smile was warm and welcoming. The brunet shook Ty’s hand and stepped through the doorframe into a corridor that was decorated in colourful balloons. It led to a homely living room, furnished in modern but warm colours. About 20 people were already there, all dressed as cowboys, barmaids, Star Wars characters and Mitchell could spot an Indiana Jones as well – no sign of Anders, though. But at least it was a fancy dress party after all. Now that he took a closer look at Ty he realised that his suit was a flapper outfit.

“I brought a bottle of wine…” Mitchell said and handed Ty the bottle.

“That’s kind of you, thanks,” he smiled at Mitchell, “Oh, red? Dawn loves red wine.”

“I do indeed,” a blond woman said, dressed in a pretty silver-black flapper dress with long satin gloves, “Who is the pirate?”

“I’m Mitchell. I’m with Anders…” Mitchell repeated and gave Dawn a shy smile. Did he really have to meet everyone before Anders showed up?

“You must be the mall Santa then!” Dawn exclaimed, shaking Mitchell’s hand excitedly, “I’m so glad to finally meet you! Ty, would you go find Anders and I get our hero a drink?”

“Sure, darling,” Ty kissed her and went upstairs.

Dawn linked her arm with Mitchell’s and pulled him towards the kitchen.

“What would you like to drink? There’s punch, beer, wine, spirits of all kinds…” she opened a fridge that held an impressive selection of alcohol.

“I wouldn’t mind a beer, actually…” Mitchell said, starting to relax at Dawn’s warm welcome. If Anders took longer to show up Mitchell was sure he could easily talk to her.

“There you go,” she pressed a bottle into Mitchell’s hand and touched his arm. “Mitchell, thank you very much for taking care of Anna.”

“Oh, that’s okay…” Mitchell said, faintly embarrassed, “Don’t mention it.”

The amount of times people thanked him for this little act of kindness was becoming ridiculous, he felt, so he took a swig of his beer.

“I mean it.” She looked solemnly at him, much like Anna when she had talked to him about finding Anders at the mall.

“I guess I have to thank you for the lovely scarf, then?” Mitchell changed the subject and tugged at the fabric around his waist.

“Yes…” Dawn nodded, “I’m sorry about the colours but Anna insisted.”

“I love it,” Mitchell chuckled, “it’s very impressive that you did that in only a week.”

Before Dawn could reply with more than a charming smile Anna came running into the kitchen, a black cape hanging from her shoulders and flapping at the speed of her movements.

“Mitchell!”

“Hello Miss Dracula,” Mitchell laughed as Anna hugged him, “look at you, all pale and scary.”

Anna bared her fangs and hissed at him. “I am the night!” She proclaimed and pointed at her face. “Uncle Andy did my make-up.”

Her face was coated in white, her eyelids were coloured in black and dark red and around her mouth a few drops of blood were painted.

“There’s the same scarf as Santa’s again!” Anna said, tugged at it and looked at Mitchell approvingly from head to toe. “You’re a pirate.”

“Not any pirate, little one, but Captain Mitchell. I am known and feared by any creature from here to Singapore. I have sailed the seven seas, found treasures of immeasurable wealth and stood up to many a monster that lives in the treacherous sea. Aaargh,” Mitchell bragged, grinning at Anna in his best pirate impression.

Anna giggled happily.

“We’re in good company, then,” Dawn laughed and ruffled Anna’s hair. Then, she looked over Mitchell’s shoulder.

“Anders, Mitchell is here!”

The Irishman turned around. Anders strolled into the kitchen and Mitchell couldn’t help but stare. His legs were clad in tight, blue pants in which a well-fitting blue shirt was tucked. The first button was open and just the tiniest bit of blond chest hair peeked out. Official-looking patches were sewn on the sleeves and on the left chest, just over the pocket that accentuated his broad chest. Short sleeves revealed muscular arms and strong forearms. His eyes were covered by a pair of sunglasses, a belt around his hips held handcuffs. Mitchell blushed when his mind jumped at that detail and imagined something entirely inappropriate for this family gathering in the kitchen.

In short, Anders was the hottest officer Mitchell had ever seen. The blond’s lips were curled up in a smug grin, without a doubt satisfied with his entrance that rendered Mitchell speechless.

“I see you have met,” Anders said to Dawn and took off his glasses. “Hi, Mitchell, glad you could make it.”

“Thanks for the invitation,” Mitchell stammered an automatic response while trying to get a grip on things.

Anders went in for a hug, squeezing Mitchell tightly.

“You look great,” he whispered in the brunet’s ear, his beard scraping lightly over Mitchell’s cheek.

“You too,” Mitchell said, his lips still a bit dry.

“We’ll leave you guys to catch up,” Dawn said, “join us in the living room whenever you feel like it.”

With that, she shooed Anna out of the kitchen and Mitchell was sure that Dawn flashed Anders a little wink before she followed.

“I half thought you’d be Santa again,” Anders’ dimples greeted Mitchell from the sand coloured beard.

“And have you try and explain to Anna what’s going on again? ‘Cause you did that really well last time,” Mitchell teased.

“Pff,” Anders scoffed good-naturedly, “I was off-duty.”

“And are you off-duty now too, officer?” Mitchell asked and felt positive that he didn’t blush like a school boy. Well, almost.

“That depends,” Anders said, striking a proper movie-officer-pose, thumb hooked under his belt.

“On what?”

“Well, if you’ve parked your ship in the driveway I’ll have to give you a ticket. But other than that I’m very free tonight.”

Mitchell smirked, becoming more relaxed by the minute. This easy banter was exactly what he was usually good at and it seemed he was off the awkward-track for now. “Is that right?”

“Mhm,” Anders grinned and opened a beer, clinking his bottle against Mitchell’s.

“You know, I really enjoyed the pizza dinner the other day,” the Irishman said.

“I’m glad you did. Me too. Anna had a good time, she really likes you. She asked me non-stop whether you had already decided to come today.”

“She’s a fun little girl.”

“You’ll find out just how much when you’re forced to play party games with her later on.”

“That’s perfectly fine. It’s already a nicer party than I’d usually have.”

“Really? What would you be doing?”

“Oh, you know… hanging around at the pub with the boys, drinking, talking about how shit a year this was… the usual.”

“Doesn’t sound very positive.”

“Well, it has definitely taken a turn for the better lately,” Mitchell said and shyly took another swig of his beer.

“Glad to hear it,” Anders grinned and grabbed Mitchell’s arm, pulling him towards the living room. “Let’s get you something to eat other than pizza, shall we?”

A long table stood alongside the wall of the spacious living room, filled with many pots and plates of different sizes.

“Help yourself to anything you like… but stay clear of the potato salad.”

“Okay…” Mitchell said, not entirely sure whether Anders was kidding or not.

While Mitchell grabbed a plate Indiana Jones came closer to Anders.

“Anders, mate, how are you?”

Quickly, Anders leaned towards Mitchell, “Oh no… he’s spotted me. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Sure,” Mitchell grinned and tried his luck with a delicious looking green dip, bread and pasta salad, watching Anders talk to the man in the Indiana Jones outfit. Around them, Anna and a little boy in a cowboy hat were playing catch. It looked peaceful, Mitchell thought, a happy gathering of friends and family with a 70s soundtrack blasting from the stereo. And the food was really good, too. Just as Mitchell considered joining Anders and Indy, Dawn came up to him and handed him another beer.

“Oh, thank you, Dawn.”

“You’re welcome. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, brilliant. You have a lovely home. And the food is very tasty.”

“Thanks,” Dawn smiled at the compliments. “Do you live in the city, too?”

“Yes, not in a house, though. I have a little apartment in the centre, quite close to the hospital. I work there and there’s a pub almost next door so that’s nice. Uh…. Not that I drink very much…” Mitchell stammered the last part as he realised that he sounded like an alcoholic. He made a mental note to not drink too much tonight – he could feel the beer going to his head already. For the stereotypical idea of an Irishman he was a lightweight.

Dawn only laughed and patted him on the arm. “Relax, Mitchell. I didn’t think that anyway.”

“Good,” Mitchell smiled sheepishly.

“Dawn, are you grilling Mitchell?” Anders joined them, apparently having gotten rid of whoever Indiana Jones.

“Just a little,” Dawn answered with a little nudge to the brunet.

“This is not grilling,” Mitchell answered with a laugh, “you should’ve met my grandma, she gave everyone a run for their money…”

The three of them talked easily among each other for a good while. Mitchell felt very comfortable – Dawn was every bit as lovely as she was bubbly and being around Anders didn’t make him that nervous anymore.

“Captain Mitchell?” Anna asked and tugged on Mitchell’s scarf again.

“Yes, Miss Dracula?”

“Do you wanna play charades with me?”

“Sure! Who else is playing? Uncle Andy will join in, too, right?” Mitchell asked and bravely winked at Anders.

“Like I have a choice,” Anders chuckled in response.

“I’m on a team with Mitchell!” Anna said.

“Hey, don’t you want play with me?” Anders pouted.

“Normally, yes, Uncle Andy. But Mitchell is a pirate,” Anna stated.

Anders looked at her in disbelief. “So? I’m an officer!”

“Yeah… but a pirate is cooler.”

“Look at that. Substituted by a rogue,” Anders scoffed in mock-disappointment.

“Sorry, mate…” Mitchell shot him a look that may have constituted as nearly apologetic if it hadn’t been for his grin

“That’s okay. Ty!” Anders shouted.

“Yes?”

“We’re playing charades together. Against Captain Mitchell and Miss Dracula. Bring your best game.”

“Okay,” Ty nodded with a broad smile and grabbed a pad and a pen.

They hadn’t even finished the first two rounds when Ty and Anders were already arguing.

“How is that a tree?” Anders asked in disbelief and imitated Ty’s pantomime, “have you ever seen a tree?”

“Yes, _I_ have, but _you_ apparently haven’t if you don’t get this, brother mine,” Ty answered smugly.

The game was heated, Mitchell fell victim to more than one belly laugh at Ty and Anders’ constant playful bickering. That’s what you get for putting brothers on the same team, he thought as he watched Anders gesture in fluent movements. Mitchell and Anna worked perfectly together, scoring point after point, only adding to Anders’ adorable frown.

The party grew louder and Ty pulled Dawn in the middle of the living room where they danced a proper Charleston and did justice to their costumes. Dawn’s dress glittered and glistened as Ty twirled her around and soon, everybody else was dancing as well. Mitchell danced with Anna, with the lady in a barmaid outfit, Ty and finally, Anders. He looked gorgeous, Mitchell thought, cheeks slightly pink, hair ever so slightly in disarray and moving with the same elegance and self-assurance that determined his walk.

“It’s nearly 12!” a tipsy Dawn shouted over the music, “let’s get the champagne ready!”

Anders took Mitchell by the hand and pulled him towards the kitchen.

“Let’s grab a bottle and make a run for it,” he grinned a deep-dimpled cheeky smile.

How could Mitchell say no to that? Anders opened the door of the fridge, took a bottle and passed it on to Mitchell before getting two glasses.

“Get your coat!”

Mitchell grabbed his coat, loosened the scarf from his waist and wrapped it around his neck, grinning. He was a little tipsy, just like Anders certainly was, and felt completely right, here, in this moment, in this house, with Anders. Anders put on his coat, laughing as he pointed at Mitchell’s scarf and made a dash for the door, pulling the Irishman along. Anders’ pink and green scarf caught Mitchell’s eye, hanging on the hook, and just as the blond pulled him out the door, he grabbed it. The two stumbled out to the street and shaking with laughter, Anders opened the bottle of champagne and managed to pour most of it into the glasses.

“There you go,” he said and with a bow that was maybe only a little bit exaggerated Mitchell accepted his glass.

“Thank you, sir,” he grinned as the other people on the street started to count down.

“10…9…8…”

Anders raised his glass.

“7…6…5…”

Mitchell raised his glass.

“3…2…1…”

“Happy New Year!” they shouted and clinked their glasses together, both chugged down their drinks.

Mitchell put his glass on the ground, slung Anders’ scarf around the blond’s neck and pulled him close. Both scarves in such close proximity blurred into a maelstrom of clashing colours in Mitchell’s peripheral vision.

“Happy New Year, Anders,” he said and kissed him, just in time as the first fireworks exploded in the sky.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you feel like it leave me a comment and let me know what you think :)


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